


Lights of Life

by Bara_no_Uta



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Injury, Rescue, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-31 19:02:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8590060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bara_no_Uta/pseuds/Bara_no_Uta
Summary: "SuperCat Prompt - Kara didn't think she'd reunite with Cat by saving her." //	There was nothing worse in Kara’s mind than when people got hurt because of her. It happened all the time with Alex, it seemed, and she couldn’t stand it. She became Supergirl to protect people, and yet, things like this happened. “I’m sorry.”	She waved a hand dismissively. “I’ve been through worse.”	They both knew that was a lie meant to make her feel better, and yet Kara opted not to call her on it.





	1. Desperate Rescue

            Kara was flying above the city. It wasn’t that she was patrolling, per se. Sometimes when she was out flying she did end up finding something she needed to intervene on. But really, it was just nice to have the opportunity to fly without having any emergency she was trying to get to. Without needing to rush or be anywhere in particular.

            A sharp cry of pain caught her attention. She stopped, hovering as she listened. There were plenty of occasions where someone was in pain without it being rescue-worthy, but… well, maybe she was just in high alert right now, what with Cadmus and their weapons.

            “I said I’m not telling you anything!” a woman’s voice hissed, even as there was a strong tinge of exhaustion to her voice.

            “You’re just prolonging your own misery,” a man told her, and now that she was so intently focused, Kara could hear the sound of a punch.

            Something serious was going on down there, and she was determined to figure out what it was. She rushed down, landing and looking around for the source of the sound. Labored breathing was her giveaway. She ran in the direction of a warehouse, though quickly notifying Alex, “I might need backup- might need an ambulance. Don’t know what I’m about to walk into. Keep an eye out?” She normally didn’t call backup for everyday crimes. For example, if someone was robbing a store at gunpoint, the DEO was really not needed for intervening there. But in her experience, someone getting beat up for information in a warehouse sounded like more than just an average crime.

            “Right.” Alex put some numbers into a computer. “I see you. We’ll be watching.”

            Kara nodded, then went into the warehouse. She tried to sneak in without being noticed, but that didn’t work terribly well when the door creaked loudly upon being opened.

            “Supergirl!” The woman was audibly relieved, but Kara could hear how the hits she had been taking were taking their toll on her, and her heavy breathing seemed like she was in a lot of pain.

            Right now, she couldn’t tend to her, though. The first priority here was to deal with the aggressor. The warehouse was dark – almost too dark to see, until Kara saw a beam of light rushing toward her. She quickly dodged out of the way, becoming a moving target while also advancing on him. That beam of light was just like the ones from the alien guns that had been popping up lately, so even without seeing the gun, she knew exactly what it was.

            When Kara got close enough, she made a feint. With him aiming in the wrong place, she took the opportunity to kick him hard in the back, grabbing the gun and trying to wrestle it away from him.

            He must have been untrained compared to the others, Kara thought, because it was with little difficulty at all that she got the gun away from him. He sprawled out on the ground, and she could hear his breathing, but he was unmoving – unconscious. She snapped the gun in half, rendering it useless. “No backup needed, but that ambulance might be good.”

            “Already called.”

            While Kara could get someone to the hospital far faster, she had learned already that if there was time, it was better to let the paramedics at least get the person into the ambulance, lest she move them in a way that made things worse. “I’m gonna check on her.”

            With that, Kara went closer. The woman was tied to a chair, and as she started to get close enough to make things out in the dark, she saw heavy bleeding. She drew closer still, trying to make out the woman’s face, and—

            “ _Cat?_ ” Kara’s eyes widened as she took in the full extent of her disheveled, badly injured appearance. She hadn’t even recognized Cat’s voice, so unlike the one she was familiar with.

            “How did I know you would find me?” she asked weakly, a small smile of amusement appearing for a few moments.

            “Cat, stay with me. The ambulance should be here soon—” She had thought it was the shock at first, but she felt more and more like something was pressing down on her body. Like she was getting weaker… Before it got worse, she reached for her earpiece. “It was a setup. Kryptonite—!” She didn’t even know where it was. Her head swiveled as she tried to locate it. She was sure that the DEO weren’t the only ones watching her, and she knew that they might just be waiting until she was weak enough there was no way she could dodge.

            “Just hang in there! We’ll be there soon!” Alex said, already shouting over the noise of a helicopter.

            Cat had no idea what Kryptonite was, but she was able to get a sense of the situation. Something was present that was making Supergirl weaker. And if it was a setup, that meant more people from whatever group had attacked her were bound to come. “Supergirl, if they’re going to attack, get yourself out of here,” she said as firmly as her voice would let her – which was to say, hardly at all.

            “No way; I’m not leaving you. Whatever they’re going to do, I won’t let them hurt you anymore.”

           “Tall promises.” The ghost of a smile crossed her lips as she tried to appear unaffected by what had happened.

            The truth was, she was really, _really_ scared. Cat was strong, but she seemed so weak that Kara wasn’t sure how much more she could take. How much blood had she lost? How much could a person lose without having their life threatened?

            Just then, the sound of running feet filled the warehouse, and Kara felt a beam hit her hard, sending her sailing clear across the building and still keeping her in its grasp. She groaned as she tried to force herself to her feet, or even just to roll away, but it felt impossible to move.

           Moments later, the soldier was rendered unconscious. “Kara!” Alex called out, rushing to her side. “Come on, we’ve gotta get you out of here.”

            Alex was starting to pick her up, but Kara shook her head weakly – as forcefully as she was able. “No—get her out first.” She nodded to Cat, who was still tied to the chair. There was no time to explain.

            Neither was there time to argue. She knew that Kara would resist her if she tried to carry her out first, so she helped Kara stand before rushing to Cat, dodging beams on her way over. Fortunately, the other DEO agents were starting to take out some of the soldiers. She hated to leave Kara there, though – a quick glance over her shoulder as she freed Cat showed that Kara was just barely able to dodge. And—oh, crap, the Kryptonite must have been on Cat’s person. She picked the woman up and ran her to one of the helicopters. “She’s been exposed to Kryptonite – don’t know if anything else. Get her to the DEO medical center.”

            The pilot nodded before flying away. The second Cat was loaded in, as safely as was possible, Alex went back for Kara. She just barely pushed her out of the way as another beam nearly hit her, and it was just barely that she managed to escape the blast. “We’re outnumbered – we’ve gotta get out of here.” Glad for how much she trained and worked out, she picked Kara up and started moving. It slowed her down – no matter who it was, it was difficult for a human to carry someone who weighed more than they did – but sheer determination and necessity kept her going until she reached a helicopter. “Alright, we’re out – we need to go back. We don’t stand a chance right now with Supergirl out of commission.”

            The DEO agents got into the helicopters, which all took off. The helicopters had to dodge more beams, but soon they were able to get far enough away that they couldn’t be reached.

            Kara was sitting now, leaning against the seat, visibly weakened. Alex reached for her hand and asked, “How are you feeling?”

            “Like I got hit by a truck? Figuratively speaking.” She offered half a smile, because honestly, being hit by a truck would probably hurt the truck more than it would hurt her. Her smile dissipated as she thought back to Cat. “Mostly, I’m—I’m really, really worried about her. I know you want me to recover myself, but please, let me see her? I just need to know that she’s okay.”

            She knew Kara and Cat were quite close, caring about each other in their own way, even if it wasn’t always obvious to an onlooker, so the request didn’t surprise her. She thought it over. Kara’s condition shouldn’t get worse over time, so as long as they made sure Cat was free of any Kryptonite, there probably wasn’t any harm in giving her peace of mind before she recovered. –That was assuming Cat was going to be okay, because even for Alex who barely knew her, the alternative was too terrible to think about. “Fine. But as soon as you’ve gotten a chance to do that, you need to rest and possibly recharge.”

            Kara tried to smile, relieved she hadn’t had to fight Alex on the matter but too worried about Cat. “Okay.” She sighed. “Alex, she was so weak. And there was so much blood. I can’t—I… She’s gonna be okay, right?” She looked into Alex’s eyes, hoping her sister knew enough to truthfully promise her Cat would make a full recovery.

            “I didn’t get a chance to assess her injuries,” Alex admitted. She wanted so badly to be able to promise Kara that everything would be okay, but she knew how upset Kara would be if she did that and it turned out to be false. “But I know that pilot will get her there as quickly as possible, and she’s going to the DEO – and I know they know what they’re doing. And most of all, Cat is tough.” _I’m sure she’ll pull through_. She held the words back, because she wasn’t completely sure.

            Luckily, Kara missed the words Alex held back and her reason for doing so. “Okay. But why is she going to the DEO?”

            A small sigh. “You said it was a setup, right? Because—I don’t know if you realized this, but I’m pretty sure she had Kryptonite on her person. Not only do we need to take care of that, but we need to figure out if she knows anything.”

            Kara nodded. She was glad for her going to the DEO, honestly. Kara had never been to any doctor that wasn’t her father, sister, or someone at the DEO, so naturally she felt more comfortable entrusting Cat’s safety to them.

            The two of them sat in silence for most of the ride.


	2. Little Bird

            When they got to the DEO, Kara was ready to hop out and make a beeline for the medical center.

            “Let me go in first and make sure they’ve taken care of the Kryptonite,” Alex said, reaching out a hand to stop Kara from rushing right in there.

            She sighed and nodded, knowing Alex had a point, especially given that she still felt weak and exhausted following what she got hit with. It was also somewhat easier to bear considering how much she trusted Alex. Even so, she followed right up to the door. She looked in through the window and saw Cat lying in a bed, unconscious. Oh, Rao. She listened intently, relieved when she confirmed her heartbeat – though it was faster than usual, her breathing a little too shallow. But she was breathing and her heart was beating, and now that she was here at the DEO, she trusted Cat would pull through. She listened in on the conversation.

            “—doesn’t look good, but as long as she wakes up, she’ll survive.”

            Kara stopped listening then. As long as she woke up? Did that mean there was a chance she _wouldn’t_?

            The second Alex stepped out of the room and saw Kara, she knew. “How much did you overhear?”

            “That she might not wake up?” There was a small crack in her voice. There had been plenty of times she herself was in danger, though she had no idea if they had ever gotten as risky as this, other than the Black Mercy. And there had been a few times Alex had been in danger, but… not like this. Not where she could die and Kara couldn’t do anything about it.

            Alex looked away. She wished she had some sort of reassurance to offer her, but she didn’t. She couldn’t promise Kara that Cat would wake up. In fact, the way things looked, the doctors weren’t sure at all – it really didn’t look good for her. It seemed that the effects were confined to ordinary human types of injury, but those could be just as dangerous as alien weapons to a defenseless human. She definitely wasn’t going to scare Kara anymore than Kara was already scared, though.

            “I’ve- I’ve gotta at least go be there for her. Can I go in?”

            “Yeah. It’s safe.” Cat had been changed into a hospital gown in the process of assessing and treating her injuries, and a scanner had confirmed that there was nothing except her regular human self. No remaining Kryptonite.

            Kara wasted no time in going into the room and sitting next to Cat’s bed, but once she was there, she faltered. What was somebody supposed to do at a time like this? The other doctors had wandered out, having no reason to watch someone sleep, leaving it just the two of them. Hesitantly, she reached for Cat’s hand. She had never been in this situation before, but that’s what people always did at bedsides on TV, wasn’t it? Held their hand and told them things they felt deep down and would never say to the other person when they were awake, and that magically caused them to wake up in the midst of a confession?

            She squared her shoulders, taking in a deep breath, looking around as though to make sure nobody else would be able to hear her. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to say. I think I’ve… already told you everything… in one way or another.” Most of it was as Kara. Some of it as Supergirl. Between the two, she couldn’t think of anything particularly important that had gone unsaid, especially when she considered what she had thought would be her last words to her, back when she had to send Fort Rozz away once and for all.

            “I guess—you know…” She needed to choose her words carefully, because what if Cat did wake up in the middle of this please-wake-up speech, as Kara assumed she would? She still didn’t want Cat to know her identity, and even if she did, this was hardly the time or place for her to find out. “I told you before that you inspire me, Cat. I really mean that. I mean, a lot.” A soft laugh fell from her lips. “Do you remember when I first started as Supergirl? And I was… kind of a disaster. But you… for all that you were tough on me, you always believed in me. Even when you criticized me, I knew you were just trying to give me advice. Like you were… looking out for me, almost.” She smiled warmly as she thought about it. Most of that advice had been given to Kara, not necessarily Supergirl herself, but in the end it was all the same anyway. “And I remember when you stuck up for me, after… well, a certain someone badmouthed me. That’s how I knew – really _knew_ – that what you were saying was different.

            “I still remember how, with Livewire, you were willing to put yourself at risk to protect me. And it’s funny, because you always kind of talk like you put yourself first, but when it came down to it…” She trailed off, because it was technically Kara who Cat had protected, not Supergirl. Kara looked at her for a while, but she still showed no signs of waking. “We say that we’re friends, but really, I… I feel like we’re more like family,” she confessed. “I mean… maybe…” _something more than that_. It was the first time she had really given it thought, and it seemed somehow wrong to put Cat in the category of family with Alex and Eliza and Jeremiah and Clark. There was just something about the way she felt toward Cat that was _different_. “Maybe not. Maybe- Maybe it’s something more than that. I don’t… really know what.”

            Cat still gave no response. She didn’t even stir. Tears welled in Kara’s eyes, and she contacted Alex over her earpiece, not wanting to leave Cat’s side. “Alex, why isn’t she waking up?”

            The fragility in Kara’s voice made her heart ache, knowing she couldn’t offer any real reassurance. “Hang on, I’m on my way back there.”

            Kara nodded, though she knew Alex couldn’t see the motion, then turned the microphone back off. “Please, Cat, I-I need you…” she said, voice barely above a whisper as she looked at Cat’s unmoving features. “I’ve missed you every day since you left, but I keep telling myself it’s okay because I know you’re out there becoming happier… but… I can’t lose you; not like this!” The words surprised even herself as they left her mouth, but she couldn’t take them back. It was how she felt.

            It was only a few seconds later that Alex came in, walking in on Kara in tears and holding Cat’s hand. She couldn’t blame her for being scared, though. If one of her close friends were in a situation like this, she would be terrified, too. She pulled up a chair and sat next to Kara.

            Kara’s voice wobbled as she asked, “If they don’t wake up when you tell them how you feel, that means they’re not coming back, doesn’t it?”

            There were times when it was almost pretty easy to forget that Kara was an alien. And then there were times like these. She surmised that, having never been in anything even remotely close to this situation before – the most Kara had seen her with was the flu or a broken bone – she had gotten that idea from TV shows. At least that was something she could reassure her about. “People don’t just magically wake up because you tell them the right words. At least, not in real life. It just… happens, and it takes a while, and you never really know how to help it happen. But it hasn’t even been half an hour since she was brought here. She’s probably exhausted; I wouldn’t be surprised if she slept for more hours.” She regarded Kara, whose tears had stopped for now as she was reassured. “You must be exhausted, too, aren’t you? I promise, we’ll let you know as soon as she wakes up, so…”

            She shook her head stubbornly. “I’m not leaving her.”

            And really, it would be pretty hypocritical of her to say anything about that. After all, when Kara was seriously injured or unconscious, she refused to leave Kara’s side unless her presence was getting in the way of what needed to be done to help her. “Alright. Just keep that in mind, okay?” If it went on for too much longer, she would speak up again, but for now, she would let it go.

            “I will.”

            She reached out and gave Kara’s shoulder a squeeze. “And Kara, I wouldn’t put too much stock in what TV shows say about things like this, if I’m guessing correctly where you got that idea from.”

            Kara smiled sheepishly. “Remember that time you bumped your head on the table and I started crying and begging you to remember us?”

            She laughed, remembering it all too well. “I was so confused. And then you totally misunderstood and started trying to recite every single important memory you could come up with, like the amnesia flashback episode of some cheesy show.”

            It had taken Alex a couple of minutes to realize that that was exactly what she was doing and to clear up the confusion. Kara hadn’t known whether she should feel embarrassed or relieved. She laughed, too. “I guess my Earth life experience still fails me sometimes.”

            She smiled, though she couldn’t deny some curiosity. “So… you said you were ‘telling her how you really feel’?”

            Embarrassment became clear in Kara’s features. “I thought it was the only way to get her to wake up!”

            “I got that.”

            She shifted, absentmindedly playing with her hair. “Well… you know, she’s been my… mentor, I guess, ever since I came out. As Supergirl.”

            “Uh-huh.” Alex raised an eyebrow, her expression teasing.

            “She _has_!”

            “And that’s why you’re blushing.”

            “I am not!”

            She just smirked. Hearing Kara talk about Cat was like hearing her talk about Maggie: blatantly obvious.

            “ _Alex,_ ” she groaned in exaggerated mock exasperation. “I am _not_ telling her… weird things.”

            “You know she’s not your boss anymore.”

            Kara bit her lip. “But I’d still like her to be my friend.”

            “And to get in her pants.”

            “ ** _Alex!_** ”

            Alex shrugged, though amusement glimmered in her eyes.

            Kara huffed. “You know it would’ve been just my luck for her to wake up right when you were saying that.” She worried her lip some more before asking in a small voice, “She is going to wake up, right, Alex?” Part of her knew that Alex couldn’t have that information, but a bigger part of her was just used to her big sister being able to make everything be okay.

            Alex tried to keep her expression neutral. She wished so badly that she could tell her yes. That she knew Cat would wake up, and even better, had a rough timeline. But she didn’t and she couldn’t, and that made her chest hurt. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure it happens,” was the best she could promise.

            She nodded, understanding. “I just wish there was something I could do.”

            “You can take care of yourself. Do you really think she’d want to wake up and find out you were completely exhausted from watching over her for hours, jeopardizing your own well-being after you were hurt too?” Her voice was gentle, but another hope that Kara would let herself rest some. Alex knew full well how it was to push yourself too far, and the last thing she wanted was for there to be another attack while Kara wasn’t even fully recovered and have Kara be hurt worse.

            Kara sighed. “No. But she hates hospitals. I don’t think she’d want to wake up all alone in one she didn’t even recognize, either. At least if I’m here, she’ll know she’s safe…”

            And really, she could understand that. Her concern for Kara wasn’t going to go away anytime soon, and particularly not before Kara had had some time to recover, but she could hardly pretend she didn’t understand wanting to stay by someone’s side while they recovered. “Okay. I’ll let it go for now. But _promise me_ that no matter what, you won’t try to go out fighting anyone until you’ve recovered.”

            She supposed that was fair. All bets were off if Alex needed rescuing, though. “Fine. As long as you keep yourself safe too.”

            “Of course.” She put her hand on Kara’s shoulder and squeezed lightly.

            It wasn’t long until Alex was pulled away again for DEO business. Kara continued to wait by Cat’s side, holding her hand. Her tiredness was catching up to her, but she refused to leave…

            …

            …

            Cat stirred. It was only as Kara jerked her head up from Cat’s bed that she realized she had fallen asleep at some point, head leaning on an arm that had draped itself next to Cat at some point she didn’t even remember. Her other hand still held Cat’s, though.

            Tired eyes blinked open. “Supergirl?” she murmured, seeing the woman by her side.

            A bright grin filled her features. “You’re awake!”

            She smiled despite herself, and she couldn’t help her eyes drifting to their joined hands. Other than that she didn’t feel much of anything, although her eyes soon fell upon an IV in her other arm that probably involved some painkillers. “How long have I been out?”

            “I don’t know.” Long enough to make her worry, but that was a given anyway. Long enough that she had fallen asleep, but she had no idea how long her nap had lasted. “How are you feeling?”

            “Like I’m probably on painkillers. And I’m in a hospital.” She looked at Kara, who she knew would implicitly understand how she felt through that statement.

            “Not exactly. Actually, uh—” Was she allowed to tell Cat where she was? The DEO was supposed to be top-secret, and even if she wasn’t sure what Cat was up to these days, she certainly had heavy ties to the press from her career at CatCo. “You’re at my, uh… secret workplace?”

            “Classified information?” she asked, a little amused.

            “Yeah. Sorry.”

            Cat shrugged as best she could in her present position. It happened. “Not that I’m complaining, but why am I here instead of a hospital?”

            It hadn’t really been her call, but… necessary questions about the abduction aside, it was mostly because of the Kryptonite, right? Was she supposed to tell someone about its existence? Well… it was okay. This wasn’t just anyone, after all. “There was something about you that made me weak.” She faltered and nearly blushed as her ears processed how the sentence had come out, then cleared her throat and tried again. “There’s this chemical. It’s from my home planet and it weakens me. And they put it somewhere on you, or something.”

            She looked at her with barely concealed amusement as she thought about the slip of Supergirl’s tongue. “Hmm.”

            Realizing she was still holding Cat’s hand, Kara decided it was probably past time by now to let go. “Anyway… what happened? I mean, why did they…?”

            “Abduct me? I guess I’m easier to get at now that I’m not at CatCo, and they assumed I must know your real name.”

            There was nothing worse in Kara’s mind than when people got hurt because of her. It happened all the time with Alex, it seemed, and she couldn’t stand it. She became Supergirl to protect people, and yet, things like _this_ happened. “I’m sorry.”

            She waved a hand dismissively. “I’ve been through worse.”

            They both knew that was a lie meant to make her feel better, and yet Kara opted not to call her on it.

            “Are you okay? I don’t remember everything that happened toward the end of that, but I do remember things didn’t look particularly good for you.”

            She gave the best smile she could. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

            Cat looked her over so intently that Kara felt like she was trying to stare into her soul. “You’re not.”

            Kara shifted. “I will be. Just a little tired out. And worried.”

            It had seemed like her mentorship of her had faded when she left CatCo, but now that they were talking like this, she couldn’t help herself from offering advice. “You know, there’s no benefit to lying to the people who care about you when it comes to things like that. Saying you’re fine when you’re not.”

            Even now, Cat always seemed to know what she needed to hear. Sometimes Kara almost wondered if it was a superpower. “Thanks. I really will be fine, but… I should probably let A—uh, Agent…—you know, somebody that I know. I should let somebody know. That you’re awake.” She nodded resolutely, as though that could hide her earlier stumbling.

            Amusement played on her lips at the obvious attempt at avoiding naming somebody. Cat didn’t know who, but it was beyond easy to guess why.

            Kara used her earpiece again. “Hey, Cat’s awake.”

            “Oh, thank goodness. Alright, I’ll be there soon. And then _you_ are going to get some rest.”

            She sighed. “Yes.”

            True to her word, Alex and a doctor were there moments later. “Alright. First things first, Supergirl needs to recharge,” she informed Cat, giving Kara no chance to object or stall.

            Cat nodded. It was obvious that that needed to happen, and she was glad that this woman seemed to be looking out for Supergirl… whoever this woman was.

            “Yeah,” Kara acquiesced. “I’ll be back later.” She stood and went to the door, but hesitated and turned to look back at Cat for a moment. “Cat? Be here when I wake up?”

            She smiled softly, with a tenderness reserved for Kara and very few others. “Of course. Sleep well, Little Bird.” There was a teasing quality to the end of her sentence, as though to disguise from the others in the room that she actually meant it.

            Kara still knew. She smiled back, remembering their last conversation on the balcony. _Little bird? Little plane?_ Finally, she walked away to go get some actual rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat calling Kara "Little Bird" as a pet name may become a headcanon of mine tbh... I came up with it out of the blue (no pun intended?) as I was writing this and it was just so cute.


End file.
